In Tsinghua Garden, there is a group of “challengers”
They are passionate like fire, never stopping
They face difficulties head-on, leading innovation
They confront challenges directly, walking alongside creation
The journey is long, only through hard work can we advance
Forty years of changing seasons
This group is on the path of self-breakthrough
Chasing dreams without end
Leaving behind a series of brilliant footprints
01
Starting from scratch, the journey of challenges begins
Turning the pages of Tsinghua University’s thick history
The story of “challenges”
Must start from September 18, 1915
On that day
China’s outstandingphysicist Ye Qisun and his classmates
jointly initiated the “Tsinghua Science Society”
It was the first student technology organization in Tsinghua Garden
This is the predecessor of the Tsinghua University Student Science and Technology Association
(hereinafter referred to as: Student Science Association)
At that time, Ye Qisun was not yet 18 years old
As a student he valued greatly
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Li Zhengdao once remarked
“This autonomous organization formed spontaneously by a few young talents at the beginning of China’s academic education
is quite astonishing
and is very valuable for student training“
The seed of “challenges” was planted
which inspired Tsinghua students
with an endless thirst for the scientific world
This seed accumulated strength
waiting to break through the soil and soar
In April 1983
The Tsinghua University Student Science and Technology Association was officially established
At that time, the third-year student
Pang Qingzhong, the executive vice president of the Su Shimin College
served as the first president
The association focused on academic exchange and discussion
helping students engage in preliminary scientific research training
In 1984
the then president of the Student Science Association, Zhang Yuzhi
wrote a thick work report for the association
and met with the then party secretary Li Chuanxin and
president Gao Jingde to report in person
requesting to hold a student extracurricular academic
science and technology works competition exhibition
What he did not expect was
the school subsequently approved funding and venue support
The following year
the Student Science Association promoted this activity
to universities across Beijing
and hosted the first
“Capital University Science and Technology Activity Exchange Conference”
During the 1985 Tsinghua anniversary
the student science and technology works exhibition held in the Third Teaching Building
In 1988
Tsinghua University awarded
the “Challenge Cup”
to the Department of Automation
which won the group championship in the extracurricular academic science and technology works competition that year
The model of Tsinghua University’s student extracurricular science and technology works competition
went national
In 1989
with strong support from the Youth League Central Committee and the National Education Commission
Tsinghua University hosted
the first national “Challenge Cup” college student extracurricular academic science and technology activity
396 works from 51 schools across the country participated
The then Premier Li Peng
inscribed for the first national “Challenge Cup”
“Study diligently, be brave in practice
Work hard, revitalize China“
That year, Tsinghua scored 640 points to win the group championship
and lifted the first “Challenge Cup” trophy in the nation
Photo and publication from the first national “Challenge Cup”
In 2019
Tsinghua won the 16th national “Challenge Cup”
Among the 6 participating works
5 won special prizes
1 won a special first prize
Group photo of the 2019 national “Challenge Cup” contestants
This is Tsinghua’s 7th time lifting the “Challenge Cup”
making it the university with the most cup wins in history
The school’s “Challenge Cup” permanent trophy (left) and the national “Challenge Cup” permanent trophy (right)
In 2011, Tsinghua University celebrated its centenary and the Student Science Association proposed a powerful slogan“Challenges are a belief”
Centenary exhibition logo and slogan
“Advocating science, pursuing truth, studying diligently
Innovating boldly, embracing challenges”
Who would have thought
that the “Challenge Cup” started as a small exhibition in Tsinghua’s Third Teaching Building
has gradually developed into a national event
with over 2 million college students participating each year
in extracurricular academic science and technology competitions
Now the towering tree has grown
the “Challenge Cup” has become an indispensable part of Tsinghua campus activities
Its core, flowing with an unyielding spirit of scientific research
has long been imprinted in the hearts of Tsinghua people
Scene of the “Challenge Cup” science exhibition
At the 40th science exhibition, the party secretary Qiu Yong (far right) and
president Wang Xiqin (far left) awarded the “Challenge Cup”.
02
Adapting to the times, serving “challenges” for youth development
The “Challenge Cup” is far more than just a competition
As an important part of student extracurricular academic
science and technology innovation activities
The “Challenge Cup” is based on building
the second classroom for talent cultivation in universities
assisting students in comprehensive development
The Student Science Association is
a strong support for outstanding young talents to stand out
In 1984
to connect with social needs
to refine topics from the production front
and to provide Tsinghua students
with opportunities for technical service work-study
the Tri-Union Technology Development Center
(hereinafter referred to as: Tri-Union)
was officially launched
Tri-Union undertook
projects such as single-board machine applications, railway and vehicle maintenance
Students utilized their spare time
in concentrated workshops and their dormitories
to earn compensation through technology services
The new work-study model of Tri-Union
not only met students’ economic needs
but also sponsored a series of
student organizations and activities on campus
In 2008
the Student Science Association split the technical service department
and established a separate student technology service team
To this day
the student technology service team remains
the flagship team for work-study at the school
continuing the original intention of technology service
Group photo of the student technology service team
Since the 1990s
the wave of the internet has swept in
In the 9th “Challenge Cup” science exhibition
the Student Science Association introduced a special computer exhibition hall for the first time
In 1998, the “Challenge Cup” held
7 information-themed forums
to guide students to connect with international hot topics
At that time, the general public
had not yet accessed the internet
but a group of Tsinghua students had already
grasped the pulse of the times
In the 2000 “Challenge Cup”
PhD student Chang Chuyu from the School of Vehicles
to solve the problem of traditional floppy disks being inefficient and easily damaged
imported a batch of flash memory from abroad
and developed“USB interface mobile storage devices”
This was the first appearance of the USB flash drive concept in China
In an era when computers were not yet widespread
such an applicable innovative project emerged from students
and holds forward-looking benchmark significance
USB interface mobile storage device developed by Chang Chuyu
Materials Science alumnus Yu Longwen from the class of 1984
conducted research on practical problems faced by several chemical companies in his junior year
and successfully developed“a new bleaching process using bamboo and grass”
and won the first prize in that year’s “Challenge Cup”
This technology was later applied in mass production by related enterprises
not only covering all expenses for himself and his brother’s college education
but also generating tens of billions in annual output value for the country
Comparison before and after bleaching
In the competition
young students closely followed the technological needs of the times
combining their knowledge and practice
cultivating and exercising
the ability to identify problems and propose solutions
overcoming difficultiesand developing research capabilities
shaping a spirit of innovation and creativity
03
Challenging the frontier, sparking an entrepreneurial “trend”
To advocate the practical value of technological innovation
since the 1990s
the “Challenge Cup” has also emphasized
the practicality and promotion of projects
leading to a trend of entrepreneurial projects emerging from the competition
In the 9th “Challenge Cup” in 1991
among the 1154 works submitted
some teams had already participated in
the national “Seventh Five-Year” key project and
the “863” high-tech program
In 1997, while still a student
Mu Yan, Yang Jinfang, Nie Fenghua, and 36 others
jointly founded
The Tsinghua University Student Technology Entrepreneurs Association
(hereinafter referred to as: Student Entrepreneurs Association)
In 1998
The Student Entrepreneurs Association held the first
college student entrepreneurship plan competition in Asia
Opening ceremony of the first Tsinghua student entrepreneurship plan competition in 1998
The then president of the Student Entrepreneurs Association, Yang Jinfang
contacted over 2000 companies
attracted over 16,000 students nationwide to register for the competition
Current chairman of Chinese Online, Tsinghua University automotive department alumnus Tong Zhilei
won the championship that year with his digital reading project
“Yide Ark”
Later, from this “star-studded” entrepreneurial association
emerged a number of “leaders” of companies
such as Meituan, Sogou, and Qianlong Group
Some works from the 1998 entrepreneurship plan competition
In 1999, Tsinghua University hostedthe first national “Challenge Cup” entrepreneurship plan competitiongathering over 400 entrepreneurial projects from 120 universities nationwideand attracting over 100 media outlets to reportIn this competition was bornthe “first college student entrepreneurship company” co-founded by Tsinghua University’s Qiu Hongyun and othersFrom that year onthe “Challenge Cup” college student extracurricular academic science and technology works competition(“Big Challenge”)and the “Challenge Cup” college student entrepreneurship plan competition(“Small Challenge”)formed a dual sword combinationintegrating student scientific innovation and entrepreneurshipand further expanding the connotation of the “Challenge Cup”Innovative entrepreneurship education gradually developedbecoming an important part of talent cultivation in universitiesdriving countless contemporary youthto participate in the wave of “mass entrepreneurship and innovation”Tsinghua University Youth League Committeeformer deputy secretary and secretary of the Student Science Association Guo Liang summarized“Many successful alumni in entrepreneurshiphave emerged from the Science Association and the ‘Challenge Cup’They not only have deep expertise in technologybut also possess strong leadership and organizational skillsand can lead a teamto innovate and practice”“When the fledglings grow strong and can fly, they will feed back and nurture”The entrepreneurial youth nurtured by the “Challenge Cup”have already grown into talentsand they remember their rootsand alsoprovide help for the future “challengers”forming a continuous and unending stream ofscientific innovationOn March 27 of this yearthe second president of the Student Entrepreneurs AssociationYang Jinfangdonated the “Fang Tang Research Fund” to Tsinghua Universityaiming to promote the cultivation of innovative spirit and thinkingand hoping to contribute to more Tsinghua studentsto achieve self-fulfillment and serve society
Party Secretary Qiu Yong (left) presents a donation plaque to Yang Jinfang
04
Through hardships, serving the country through challenges
Always adhering to the needs of the country
constantly enriching the connotation of the competition
The “Challenge Cup” leads young students
to walk alongside the times
and be brave in serving technological self-reliance and strength
In 2005
Li Liguo, a student from the automotive department
established the “Delta Studio” focusing on the development and design of intelligent electromechanical systems
conducting interviews and recruitment within the automotive department
Li Liguo stated that the studio
“is not just a hobby, but a professional pursuit”
“We aim at the national and global stage”
As the “Delta” leads
student technology interest teams were established one after another
In 2016
The “Tiange Plan” student technology interest team was established
Undergraduate Wen Jiaxing from the Department of Engineering Physics
issued a “recruitment order” to the whole school
attracting a group of students determined to conduct real research
and to explore the scientific goal of detecting gamma-ray bursts caused by neutron star mergers
After 6 years, with the efforts of three generations of “Tiange people”
the team independently developed and successfully launched
multiple new scintillator gamma detector payloads
successfully discovering a batch of gamma-ray burst events
and published multiple academic papers
the observational data has been received by the National Space Science Data Center
In early 2023, the “Tiange Plan” collaboration group
successfully launched 4 satellites payloads from 4 universities.
If the “Challenge Cup” is the fertile soil for nurturing trees
then when the seedlings grow into towering trees
they will alsoprovide shade for new scientific innovation youth
supporting them to grow strong
In 2005
with the work “Mobile storage device with TTS function”
undergraduate Zeng Ming from the Department of Engineering Physics
won the first prize in that year’s “Challenge Cup”
16 years later
Zeng Ming, now a tenured associate professor in the Department of Engineering Physics
guided the “Tiange Plan” student technology interest team
and won the special prize at the 39th “Challenge Cup” and
the special prize at the 17th national “Challenge Cup”
“Tiange Plan” competition work
As the field of scientific innovation work gradually expands
and the support methods for scientific innovation are optimized
Tsinghua University has formed a “whole process progressive support
and comprehensive resource matching”
extracurricular innovation talent cultivation system
creating a system of 69 disciplinary competitions led by the “Challenge Cup”
In 2007, the “Spark Plan” was launched
In 2009, the “Progressive Support Plan” was launched
and subsequently upgraded to the “College Student Academic Promotion Plan”
In 2012, the “Chuang World Plan” was launched
and supported 20 student technology interest teams
Facing the new era
Tsinghua relies on key research platforms
to carry out the “Chasing Light Plan” for college students
building the first phase of 9 high-level student technology innovation teams
continuously promoting the integration of competitions and courses
creating more than 10 demonstration competitions
exploring local application scenarios and enterprise technology platforms
guiding students to engage in scientific innovation with real tools
In 2003
based on integrating resources for scientific innovation lectures
the school established the Spark Forum
Over the past 20 years
the Spark Forum has held 173 lectures
experts and scholars such as Zhou Guangzhao, Yao Qizhi, Shi Yigong
Xue Qikun, and James Watson have all come to share their insights
At the organizational level
the Student Science Association has always insisted on full coverage at the departmental grassroots level
Since 2020, it has successively established
Weiyang, Zhili, Rixin, Tanwei
Xingjian, Qiuzhen, and Weixian colleges
The Student Science Association system
has organized multiple scientific innovation inspection teams
to conduct learning and practical activities both domestically and internationally
Scientific innovation inspection team researching in Japan
The Student Science Association and the “Challenge Cup”
have accompanied each generation of
Tsinghua “challengers”
through a development journey of forty years
On April 29-30
The 41st “Challenge Cup” student extracurricular academic science and technology works exhibition
will be held on the occasion of Tsinghua University’s 112th anniversary
promising a new scientific innovation feast
at Shuimu Tsinghua
Standing at the new starting point of 40 years
the future path of chasing light will be broad and boundless
Self-improvement of Tsinghua “challengers”
declare firmly:
Challenges are an everlasting belief!
Reprinted from the “Tsinghua University” public account